Multinational Business Review· 2026Q1
Digital technology application breadth, depth and international performance: the moderating role of digital services trade barriers
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Both broad and deep application of digital technologies boost firms' international performance, but digital services trade barriers significantly weaken these positive effects, especially for broad applications.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Broader and deeper digital technology application are positively linked to international performance.
- Digital services trade barriers weaken the positive impact of digital technology application breadth on international performance.
- Digital services trade barriers negatively moderate the relationship between digital technology application depth and international performance.
- The study uses data from 6,580 firm-year observations of Chinese listed firms (2014-2024).
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Purpose This study aims to investigate how digital technology application breadth (DTAB) and digital technology application depth (DTAD) affect firms’ international performance and how digital services trade barriers (DSTB) moderate the effects. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on resource orchestration theory, the authors test the effects of DTAB and DTAD on international performance and the moderating role of DSTB using 6,580 firm-year observations of Chinese listed firms from 2014 to 2024. Findings The results show that both DTAB and DTAD are positively associated with firms’ international performance. However, DSTB significantly weakens the positive effect of DTAB on international performance and negatively moderates the DTAD–international performance relationship. Originality/value This research advances the understanding of how firms orchestrate digital resources under institutional constraints and offers practical insights into how international performance can be enhanced in complex global environments.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Multinational Business Review, 2026 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Strategy and Management
Strategy and ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting